Oklahoma Sooners Basketball vs Baylor: Preview, Thread & How to Watch

A quick turnaround from Saturday’s Big 12/SEC Challenge win over Vanderbilt has the Oklahoma Sooners (15-5, 3-4) back in action tonight against the Baylor Bears (13-6, 4-2). All OU students can attend for free with a student I.D.

Oklahoma (15-5, 3-4 Big 12) vs. Baylor (13-6, 4-2 Big 12): 8 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, OK)

TV: ESPNU

Commentary: Kevin Connors and Chris Spatola

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: Sooner Radio Network (107.7 FM ‘The Franchise’ in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App) with Toby Rowland and Kevin Henry announcing

Line: Oklahoma -6 (as of 4 p.m. CT)

About Baylor

• The Bears are as hot as anybody in the conference coming into tonight’s matchup, having won four games in a row and five of the last six (that one loss being a five-point defeat to Kansas).
• On the offensive end of the court, the Bears are led by senior guard Makai Mason (15.5 ppg), who ranks 5th in the Big 12 in scoring. The Yale transfer missed the first three games of the season to rehab an ankle injury, and now he comes into Norman having made at least one three-pointer in 13 consecutive games.
• Although Baylor is missing sophomore big man Tristan Clark, the Bears have gone 4-1 in his absence. On the season, BU leads the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +6.5, and since Clark was sidelined for the year, their average advantage on the boards has actually improved to +7.2 in the past five games.

Storylines

• Baylor head coach Scott Drew is the brother of Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew, whose Commodores were just dismantled in Norman on Saturday. Tonight’s contest between the Sooners and the Bears will be an ultra-rare occurrence when a team goes up against two coaches who are brothers in back-to-back games.
• Last season, these squads split the two meetings, with each team winning on its respective home court. Historically, Oklahoma has dominated the series 45-15, but during the Lon Kruger era, the Bears have been a lot more competitive, as the series is 8-7 in the Sooners’ favor over that time.
• The Sooners are trying to get back to .500 in conference play for the third time this season. Opening Big 12 play with the Jayhawks put Oklahoma behind the 8-ball from the jump, but this team has shown the propensity to bounce back when the going gets tough. They’ll have to do so once again if they want to remain in contention for the regular season conference title.
• Following a tough defeat to Kansas State, Lon Kruger inserted freshman Jamal Bieniemy and senior Rashard Odomes in place of Aaron Calixte and Jamuni McNeace in the starting lineup. Ever since then, the Sooners have looked like a much different team. In the first game following the switch, Oklahoma lost a close one in Austin, but over the next two games, the team has seemingly found its stride. This Baylor team should provide the biggest challenge since the K-State game, so a lot can be derived from the outcome of tonight’s contest.

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